Food or edible material: processes – compositions – and products – Products per se – or processes of preparing or treating... – Reaction flavor per se – or containing reaction flavor...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-09
2003-05-13
Wong, Leslie (Department: 1761)
Food or edible material: processes, compositions, and products
Products per se, or processes of preparing or treating...
Reaction flavor per se, or containing reaction flavor...
C426S534000, C426S535000, C426S650000, C426S662000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06562391
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an aroma product containing flavoring compounds and a process for preparing the aroma product.
BACKGROUND
The Maillard reaction is well known as a means for non-enzymatically browning food products. The Maillard reaction is an important method in the food industry to produce flavor, taste, and color in cooked food products. The reaction occurs when a mixture of amino acids and reducing sugars are heated and allowed to react. The reaction provides a broad range of compounds, the reaction can provide more than 200 different compounds. It is well known in food technology that the Maillard reaction can be used to produce a wide range of aroma compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,986, for example, is directed to a process for the production of a flavoring agent that resembles the taste of meat, fish, or mushrooms. According to this process a liquid protein hydrolysate is reacted with at least one monosaccharide by heating. The reaction is carried out in water. Carrying out the reaction in a purely aqueous medium, however, results in a reaction that is low in yield. Furthermore, it is not possible to obtain a broad range of aroma compounds.
It is also possible to obtain flavor compounds by the thermal degradation of aroma precursors. This type of reaction also does not provide high yields of flavor compounds and does not provide a very broad range of aroma compounds.
Surfactants self-associate when dissolved into aqueous solutions and form a variety of structures ranging from micelles to mesomorphic structures (also called mesophases) such as lamellar, hexagonal, cubic or &bgr;-crystalline phases. These phases are mainly used in foodstuffs as structuring or fat replacing agents (See, e.g., WO 92/09209, WO 94/07377, WO 95/35035). The molecular arrangement of the surfactant molecules with the aqueous phase gives the product its viscosity and consistency. The surfactants, however, have an off-taste, which especially is apparent if the edible surfactant is a monoglyceride and present in a mesomorphic phase. WO 94/07377 discloses that the off-taste can be avoided if low levels of sweetening agents are added.
Other applications of monoglycerides in food systems are summarized in E. Boyle, “Monoglycerides in Food Systems: Current and Future Uses” FOOD TECHNOLOGY, vol. 51, No. 8, 1997, pages 52-59. The use of a mesomorphic structure to generate food flavors, however, has not been mentioned.
EP Patent No. 486,822 concerns the generation of food flavors. The patent describes a process for preparing a flavorant by heating an aqueous mixture of a phospholipid, amino acid source, and a reducing sugar at an elevated temperature. The flavor generation, however, is not related to the presence of a mesomorphic structure formed by the presence of the edible surfactant. The process involves the use of self-aggregated microstructures, made of edible surfactants, to increase flavor generation in Maillard reactions or thermal degradation reactions. Incorporating the flavor precursor molecules into the microstructures increases the reaction yield, extends the number of reaction compounds that are obtained, and stabilizes relatively unstable reaction compounds after they are formed.
There remains a need, however, for improved processes to obtain flavor compounds in high yield and to obtain a broad range of flavor compounds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a process for preparing an aroma product containing flavoring compounds. The process involves dissolving amino acids, peptides or hydrolyzed proteins and reducing sugars in water or dissolving aroma precursors in water to form a solution; introducing an edible surfactant into the solution to provide a surfactant containing solution; heating the surfactant containing solution to a temperature sufficient to form a mesomorphic phase structure or a microemulsion, heating the surfactant containing solution for a sufficient time to develop flavoring compounds; and cooling the surfactant containing solution to obtain the flavoring compounds.
The surfactant may be a monoglyceride, a phospholipid, or a mixture thereof. In one embodiment the surfactant is a substantially saturated monoglyceride with a carbon chain that is substantially between 16 and 18 carbons. The monoglyceride may be a 100% saturated C16 compound, a 100% saturated C18 compound, or a mixture thereof. The mesomorphic phase may be a cubic phase.
The amino acids may be cysteine, methionine, glycine, glutathione, monosodium glutamate, or mixtures thereof. The proteins may be milk proteins, soy proteins, cereal proteins, vegetable proteins, meat proteins, or mixtures thereof. The aroma precursor may be thiamine. The sugars may be monosaccharides, disaccharides, and oligosaccharides. The sugar may be ribose, xylose, glucose, fructose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, and mixtures thereof.
The monoglyceride may be about 40 to 95 percent by weight of the solution; the amino acids, proteins, or peptides may be about 0.5 to 20 percent by weight of the solution; the sugars may be about 0.5 to 20 percent by weight of the solution; and the aroma precursors may be between about 0.5 to 20 percent by weight of the solution. In another embodiment of the method the monoglyceride may be about 60 to 80 percent by weight of the solution; the amino acids, proteins, or peptides may be about 0.1 to 10 percent by weight of the solution; the sugars may be about 0.1 to 10 percent by weight of the solution; and the aroma precursors may be between about 0.1 to 10 percent by weight of the solution. The amount of water may be about 30 percent by weight of the solution. The amount of water may also be about 20 percent by weight of the solution.
The mixture may be heated between about 60 and 180° C. for about 1 hour to 8 hour or the mixture may be heated at a temperature of about 100° C. for about 4 hours.
The process may also include the step of drying the surfactant containing solution. The drying may be spray-drying or freeze drying.
The invention also relates to an aroma product prepared according to the method of the invention and to a food product containing the aroma product of the invention. The food product may be bouillons; soups; sauces; gravies; petfoods; snacks; canned foods; casserole dishes; frozen human foods; meat spreads; dips; bakery products; and replacements for beef, chicken, pork, fish, or seafood. The aroma product is present in the food product in an amount from about 0.05 to 10 percent by weight of the food product.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The invention concerns an aroma product comprising flavoring compounds and a process for manufacturing the aroma product. The process produces a wide range of flavor compounds and produces the flavor compounds in high yields. The aroma product is obtained by a process that involves dissolving amino acids, peptides or hydrolyzed proteins, and reducing sugars in water or dissolving aroma precursors in water; introducing into the aqueous solution an edible surfactant; heating the resulting mixture to produce a mesomorphic phase structure or a microemulsion; maintaining the heating at a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time to develop flavoring compounds; and cooling the mixture.
By aroma product is meant a product that can be added to a food product to impart, improve or enhance the aroma and/or flavor of the food product.
When a mixture of amino acids, peptides or hydrolyzed proteins, and reducing sugars are used, it is the Maillard reaction which takes place to provide the flavoring compounds. When aroma precursors are used, it is a thermal degradation of the aroma precursors which takes place to provide the flavoring compounds.
The term aroma precursor, as used herein, means any compound that can be converted to an aroma product by heating or by other conversion media.
The term microemulsion, as used herein, means a stable emulsion that has a particle size less than about 100 nanometers, preferably between about 1 and 100 nanometers.
The term mesomorphic phase as used
Leser Martin
Milo Christian
Vauthey Sylvain
Nestec S.A.
Winston & Strawn
Wong Leslie
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